Die for assembling cloth-covered articles



May 8, 1934, L E. M DONOUGH DIE FOR ASSEMBLING CLOTH COVERED ARTICLES Filed June 30, 1933 2 SheetsSheet l ZZ /M92221. [6w

May 8, 1934. 1.. E. MODONOUGH DIE FOR ASSEMBLING CLOTH COVERED ARTICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 30, 1933 a W85 w Q g A k, x. 6

KL 1.. w a flu lEVX/eJZZEK w m 1 M Patented May 8, 1 934 PATENT 0mm:

DI E FOR ASSEMBLING CLOTH-COVERED ARTICLES Lawrence E. McDenough, Chicago, 111:, assignor to Maxant Button & Supply Company, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Application June 30, 1933, Serial No. 678,439

3 Claims.

This invention relates to the means employed for assembling the various elements which go to make up such articles ascloth or leather-covered buttons, buckles and other fittings, such means being in the nature of dies for holding and directing the parts and applying pressure to them for securing them together. The object of the invention is to facilitate the placing of the parts in relation to the dies and to each other so as to speed up this part of the work and thereby reduce the cost of manufacture. The invention consists in certain features and elements of construction in combination and in their mode of use, as herein shown and described, and as indicated by the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of four elements to be assembled in the formation of a cloth-covered buckle.

Figure 2 is a top plan view showing a fragment of a machine table with a pair of assembled dies mounted thereon in position to receive the parts to be assembled.

Figure 3 is a vertical section at the plane indicated by line 3--3 on Figure 2, showing certain steps in the process of. assembly.

Figure 4 is a section at'the same plane as Figure 3, but showing one die super-imposed on the other before the pressure stroke.

Figure 5 is an enlarged section of the cooperating portions of the two dies with the assembled buckle parts as contained therein at the end of the pressure stroke.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of an assembled buckle.

For purposes of illustration the drawings show a garment buckle comprising two metallic shell members, each of. which is to be covered with cloth or other sheet material so that when the two parts are assembled the sheet material shall constitute the entire outer surface. Figure 1 shows a back shell, 1, and a front shell, 2, formed respectively with marginal flanges, 1 and 2 so that the flange, 1 may be telescoped within the flange, 2 when the parts are assembled. A piece of cloth, leather or other sheet material is shown at 3, and is designed to cover the shell member, 1. A similar piece of sheet material, 4, is provided for covering the shell, 2. Each piece of sheet material has its central area cut out, as indicated at 5, with diagonal slits leading from these apertures. This permits folding the central portion of each covering over the inner edges of the shell member to which it is applied, while the marginal portions of the coverings are folded over the marginal flanges, 1 and 2 before the two halves of the buckle are telescoped together.

As seen'in Figure 2, the die member, has a recess, 11, to receive the buckle shell, 1, and the die member, 7, has a recess, 12, to receive the shell, 2. Before the shells are placed in these recesses the fiat upper surface of each die is overlaid with the corresponding sheet 3 or 4 of covering material. The metallic shell, 1 or 2, is then placed on top of the cover sheet and the assembled shell and cover are tucked into the recess of the die by any convenient means, such as the U-shaped tool, 10, seen in Figure 3. The speed and success of this operation depends upon the accurate placing of the covering material with respect to the recesses into which the shells are to be pressed. Therefore, I provide a frame or templet, 15 having an opening, 16, whose area and outline is the same as that of the piece of covering material which is to be laid on the die. A marginal flange, 1'7, and other locating means, such as pins, 18, projecting from the die to engage holes, 19, in the templet, serves to position the part, 15, temporarily in its proper locationwith respect to the recess, 12, of the die, 7, or the recess, 11, of the die, 6. The drawings show the frame, 15, applied to the die, '7, and it may be understood that a similar frame will be supplied for the die, 6, or that the same frame, 15, may be used alternatively on. both dies. In Figure 3 the cloth'member, 3, is shown overlaid on the die, 6, with the buckle shell, 1, positioned upon the cloth. No special locating means is required for positioning the shell, because the opening, 5, in the cloth indicates the center of the shape and will guide the operator in placing the buckle shell properly. Figure 3 shows the implement, 10, in dotted outline engaging the shell member, 1, and also shows the templet, 15, in dotted lines. At the left-hand portion of the view the member, 10, is shown as having pressed the buckle shell, 2, and its cloth covering, 5, into the recess of the die. This may be done manually or by means of pressure applied through a cross-head mounted for reciprocation above the dies, and indicated at 20.

The die, 7, is temporarilysupported alongside the die, 6, upon rails, 21 and 22, the rail, 22, being laterally adjustable and urged yieldingly toward the former by means of a spring, 23, so that it will exert some friction upon the die which it supports, and also to permit the insertion of dies of various sizes between the rails, 21 and 22.

When the recess of each die has been filled with a cover piece and a buckle shell, the die, 7, is

withdrawn from between the rails, 21 and 22, and placed in inverted position upon the die, 6, as shown in Figure 4. The locating pins, 18, enter holes, 28, in the die, 6, for ensuring correct relation of the buckle parts. Pressure is then applied as by means of the cross-head, 20, so that the fiat faces of the dies are first brought together and then the slidable portions, 6 and 7 against which the buckle parts are lodged are forced toward each other, until the smaller shell, 1, is telescoped within the larger shell, 2, as shown in Figure 5. The cover pieces, 3 and 4, thus envelope the shells, and their marginal portions are disposed of within a hollow space. formed between the shells, 1 and 2,'when theyare as'se'm bled. The finished buckle frame is shown in Figure 6.

Each of the dies is shown as including a rectangular central portion indicated at 60 with respect to the die 6, and at with respect to the die, 7, which in each instance, as seen in Figure 3, serves the purpose of forcing the central area of the cover member around the inner margin of the buckle shell. If the buckle is to include a cross-bar (not shown) one of the shell members may be formed with notches, as seen at 1 in Figure 1 to receive such a bar. The central portion of the die, 6, may provide a groove, such as that before the die, 7, is super-imposed upon the die,

6. Then, when the buckle shells, 1 and 2, are assembled, the cross-bar will be gripped between them in the notches, 1 A spring, 26, provides yielding support for the grooved central portion of the die, 6, during this operation.

In the particular example shown, since the dies, 6 and 7, are circular, the locating pins, 18, are made use of to secure proper angular positioning of the templet member, 15; if the outlines of the dies are non-circular, this would be unnecessary. The employment of pins, 18, on one die, precludes the'provision of similar pins on the other die because they would interfere in that step of the assembly process shown in Figure 4. Therefore, to position the templet, 15, on the die, 6, the templet itself carries a downwardly projecting pin, 29, and the die, 6, has an aperture, 30, to receive said pin; since this die is entirely symmetrical, a" second opposite point.

I claim: I

1. In an apparatus for assembling two rigid parts constituting a hollow frame when assembled, and a pair of flexible parts to be assembled therewith as a covering for the frame in combination, a pair of dies having flat upper surfaces with recesses therein to receive the rigid parts respectively, a templet removably applicable to either of said flat surfaces and formed with an opening whose outline is similar to that of the flexible parts and provides a recess to receive and position one of said flexible parts first upon one of the dies and then upon the other as the templet is shifted from one die to the other. 2. In combination with a pair of assembling dies, at supporting bed therefor dimensioned to receive the dies side by side, one of said dies being permanently located, a pair of rails positioned for lodgment of the other die and spaced apart to embrace a portion thereof for holding it removably at the side of the other die one of said rails being yieldingly adjustable toward and from the other, and a .ClQSSThBa exten in ve b d and movable toward and from them for supplying pressure for the assembling operations.

3. In an assembling die apparatus, for assemblin a la and a lesser leme t, whi l ments when assembled constitute a boundary endl ssly encompassin an open a n ombi tion, an outer and an inner die member, the outer member endlessly encompassing the inner memh a d spaced outwardly ther rom n e id the outer member having a flat upper surface, the inter-space between the two die members constituting a recess in said upper surface; a template removably applicable to said flat upper surface, and having an opening shaped and dimensioned for coope tin with said at ace of e die member to provide a recess to receive the larger of said elements to be assembled, the recess f ormed LAWRENCE E. MCDONOUGH. 

